Modern Jaws or Oddjob is in the making, will arrive in 2015

Oct 13, 2014 08:09 GMT  ·  By
New Bond villain Dave Bautista at the premiere of “Guardians of the Galaxy”
   New Bond villain Dave Bautista at the premiere of “Guardians of the Galaxy”

As rumored in August, producers on the 24th installment in the James Bond franchise, which is scheduled for theatrical release in 2015, are looking to create an iconic villain in the vein of Jaws and Oddjob, inarguably the most famous baddies in the time-enduring franchise.

Latino-Review got their hands on a casting call that was sent out at the time, saying this much. Today, the same media outlet confirms that the baddie has been found in the person of wrestler Dave Bautista, who got his big acting break over the summer, as Drax the Destroyer in Marvel’s blockbuster “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Dave Bautista is a perfect fit for the next 007 movie

As you probably know, Bautista is impressively muscular, which makes him a very strong presence on screen. He’s also got the acting chomps to pull off a role like this one.

If the casting call is legit, which it probably is, he will be playing Hinx, which is described as the main henchman / assassin. “We are looking for an imposing extremely physically fit actor. He has several fights with Bond and will have to have stunt training. He has to drive. We are looking for someone very unusual, possibly from a sports background,” the producers wrote in the casting call.

Well, Bautista fits all these criteria, no doubt about it. News that he was on board spread like wildfire online, with his fans thrilled that he was getting even more acting roles.

Villain roles are hot, even in movies in which everyone’s rooting for the good guy

Not just in the Bond universe, the villain is extremely important because he is the measure by which the hero’s worth is established. Villains have also better chances of getting more attention (from the fans and from the media) than the good guys, particularly in less physical roles.

That won’t be the case with Bautista, as his Hinx will probably be a mostly physical role. Still, landing such a juicy gig will do wonders for his career. Villains in James Bond movies are just as important as the Bond girls, and we all know how many benefits actresses who get these parts reap later on in their career.

That’s because any James Bond film enables massive exposure, the kind few other film franchises can provide. It makes sense if you think about it: this is a film franchise that’s been around for over 50 years. Which other can say the same?

Daniel Craig, Sam Mendes are coming back

“Skyfall” came out in 2012 and was the 23rd film in the franchise. It was dubbed by critics and fans the most accomplished installment in the entire series, a fine blend of typical James Bond humor with elements of modern action flick / thriller and a delightful side of solid acting performances from all members of the cast.

Hopefully, with the 24th film, we’ll be getting more of the same, especially since both leading man Daniel Craig and director Sam Mendes are on board. Ralph Fiennes replaces Dame Judi Dench as M., and now Bautista is to play villain.

Expect something different from Javier Bardem’s role as the deranged Silva: more action, less talk, even more amazing fight sequences. The film will be out in 2015.